Bovaer milk: Spike in customer calls to Scottish dairy sector over new methane reducing additive

Scotland’s biggest dairy has experienced a surge in calls over a new additive being trialled to reduce methane amid customer backlash to the experiment.

Graham’s Family Dairy, based in Stirlingshire, confirmed none of its farmers use Bovaer, a synthetic feed additive being marketed to shrink methane emissions from dairy cows by 27 per cent.

Dairy cows grazing. Picture: Cliff Donaldson

The news comes after Arla, a Danish-Swedish multinational co-operative based in Denmark, and which owns brands including Lurpak butter and Cravendale milk, announced last week that it would test the additive on more than 30 of the company’s farms.

Arla said it would work alongside Aldi, Morrisons and Tesco in the trial.

The additive has been approved by the Food Standards Agency and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The announcement, however, has since been heavily criticised, with swathes of British shoppers threatening to boycott all three supermarkets and Arla brands.

Some videos on social media have shown customers throwing Lurpak butter in the bin and cartons of Cravendale milk down the sink and the toilet. Some have claimed the additive is linked to Bill Gates, who has previously invested millions into a rival start-up Rumin 8, which develops similar additives. Arla has said this claim is strictly not true.

Robert Graham, managing director at Graham’s Family Dairy, said the company had received increasing calls from customers asking whether the additive was in Graham’s products.

Dr Graham with his son Robert Graham, who is managing director of Graham's Family Dairy | Mark F Gibson / Gibson Digital

Speaking to The Scotsman, Mr Graham said: “We have been receiving a high volume of calls and enquiries from customers in relation to the use of the additive Bovaer, which none of our farming partners use.

“Between handling these over social and email, we felt we had to put out a statement which is just fact and that is our producers don’t use it and none of the family farms supplying us use it.”

The Graham family owns Graham's Family Dairy, Scotland's largest independent milk producer | Graham's Family Dairy

When asked to give his view on the trial, Mr Graham added: “What is the role of methane? This for me is the conversation we should be having.”

His comments were echoed by the owners of Mossgiel Organic Farm, in Ayrshire.

A statement issued by the farm read: “On the surface, it [Bovaer] sounds like a game-changer for the planet, but here at Mossgiel it's not on the menu. At Mossgiel, we don’t just treat the symptoms of the problem; we look at the whole picture.

“Yes, methane emissions are a challenge. But rather than relying on additives, we focus on creating a system that works with nature.

“Here's why - all of the cows on all of the farms supplying Mossgiel live on and eat organic grass, just as nature intended.

“They graze on lush, organic pastures and harvested grass, free from chemical additives. We believe that healthy cows raised in harmony with the land are part of the solution - not just for emissions, but for the soil, biodiversity, and the quality of your milk. On our own farm we feed seaweed too, which has shown to reduce methane naturally while boosting cow health through their immune system.

“Regenerative, organic farming is our fix. Reducing methane isn’t just about what goes into the cow - it’s about what’s happening around her. By improving soil health, sequestering carbon and promoting biodiversity, farmers are tackling emissions in a way that builds a better future for everyone.”

The statement added: “Big companies are trying to fix our issues with additives and UPFs when often, the answer is in our soil and in our whole foods.”

Graham’s Family Dairy is one of several other farms in Scotland that has been added to a new website listing “Bovaer-free farms” across the UK amid the customer backlash.

Others include The Coo Shed, in Ayrshire, and the organic dairy The Forest Farm and Invercamey Dairy, both in Aberdeenshire.

Bovaer is a supplement added to cattle feed. The product is designed to break down in the cow's digestive system and quickly decompose into "naturally occurring compounds already present in the rumen [part of the stomach] of a cow", according to DSM Firmenich, the Swiss-Dutch manufacturer that makes it.

Research suggests the additive can reduce methane emissions, which cows emit when they burp, from the herbivores' digestion by an average of 27 per cent. Questions remain over the long-term effectiveness and impact of additives such as Bovaer on animal health and welfare.

Bovaer was authorised in the UK in December last year, according to DSM, and is available for sale in 68 countries.

Arla said over the past decade, the additive had been part of more than "150 trials across the globe, which have all been published in over 85 articles in peer-reviewed journals".

Citing information from DSM Firmenich, the company said Bovaer "does not filter through to humans when they consumer dairy products".

An Arla spokesperson said: “The information spreading online surrounding our link to Bill Gates and the safety of the Bovaer feed additive is completely false.

“The health and safety of both consumers and animals is always our number one priority and Arla would never compromise on the quality or high standards of the milk we produce.

“Bovaer has already been extensively and safely used across Europe and at no point during the trial will there be any impact on the milk as it does not pass from the cow into the milk.

“Regulatory bodies, such as the European Food Safety Authority and UK Food Standards Agency, have approved its use based on evidence that it does not harm the animals or negatively impact their health, productivity or the quality of milk.”

In a joint comment, Morrisons, Aldi and Tesco said the collective approach “will make a difference,” adding: “Being involved in using a feed additive is a great way of testing out where we can drive change at scale to bring down emissions.”